Paint stick for automobiles



Patented July 5, 1927.

:ROBERT T. ROMINE, OF MOUNT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN.

PAINT STICK FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed September 3, 1926.

This invention relates to paint sticks adapted to be attached to automobile bodies for the purpose of facilitating the transpor tation of the bodies in the automobileplantto and 'from the enamelling ovens, or tor carrying the bodies along an assembly line where the trame work ot the body may be assembled or the body trimmed during its travel, or for enabling the bodies to be wheeled or rolled in the plant to the point where they are assembled with the chassis of the car.

An object of the invention is to provide a paint stick having casters or antitriction rollers and so constructed that it may be readily attached to or detached from the car body while at the same time enabling the body to be transported, stored or otherwise conveyed so as to occupy a minimum or overhead space and to be transported-close to the floor thereby facilitating the assembly, trimming, inspection, enamelling or painting of the body, as well as the compact loading of the bodies in trailers or freight cars.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appendeffV claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings 'forming a part ot this specification wherein like reference characters Vdesignate correspondingy parts in trie several views.

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing aA paint stick embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the paint stick shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is asection taken on lines 3 3, Fig. l.

Fig. 4; is a section taken on lines L -4;, Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing one ot the clamping members.

Mig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the clamping members and the manner in which the paintstick is secured tothe sill of the car body.

Before explaining in detail the present invention, and method or mode ot operation embodied therein, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applica tion to the details of construction and arf winsjensnt of illustrated in the se if:

Serial No. 133,372.

pable ot other einbodiments and ci seing' practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is tor the, purpose ot description and not ot limitation.y and it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms ot the sev-eral claims hereto appended or the requirements of the prior art.

The present paint stick is of such improved construction as to occupy a minimum ot' space beneath the body, while permitting the body to roll freely on the floor orv other supporting surfaces. In its preferred form the paint stick in general comprises an inverted channel bar adapted to extend beneath the body and provided with swivelled casters and also devices for detachably connecting the paint stick bar to the bottom sills of the carbody. This improved construction enables the frame sections ot the car body to be assembled on the paint sticks while the latter are supported on an endless conveyor buck. It also enables the body to be rolled into and out ot the enamelrino, ovens while occupying but slightly more space than the body itself.

An important advantage therefore ot the present invention resides in tact that'the bodies may be stored or moved from place to place on the paint sticks which occupy approximately one-thirtieth ot the space rcouired for the trucks heretofore employed in moving automobile bodies during the process ot manufacture. Thus vthe body when mounted on the paint sticks or caster bars occupies but kslightly more total space than the cubical space taken up by the body. whereas heretofore the dimensions. and particularly the heightv` ot the trucks upon which the bodies were carried were such as to cause the trucks to take up considerable useful space in the plant. My invention not only releases most of this space but enables the bodies to be transported, moved, or stored in double deck relation, such as shown in my co-pending applications, Serial No. 141,133. filed October l2, 1926; and

`Serial No. 183,375., tiled cept-einher 3, 1926.

A further id that the estrias `assembly line within a few inches of thel car floor so .as to be at the proper height to permit the Workmen to Work on the ei:-

V terio-r Yand interior of the body. 'Furthermore, the bodiesv may be load-ed on the paint sticks in freight cars or 1n trailers in double deck-ed relation, enabling them to be rolledL` Vinto and ont of the eonveyances i-Vn-toaele-V .vato-rs, etc., with dispatch and with a minimum of manual labor.

The paint stick comprises a channel bar A9 Which'in the present instance is shaped vto Vsupport the bottom sills of the cer body and to facilitate the assembly of theV fram@ WorkV of the body on thepaint sticks.' in itspresent form therefore the channed bar 9 hasa central portion'. thereof?. depressed at )i i i to bring the guides C and l) herenaftei" fl-:1x4

scribed-in relatively close proximity tothe floor.. .The ends B ofthe channel oer are er depressed so as not only to. provideclearf Y opposite channel are' strengthened and braced by' ance butto enable casters or rantifriction,

rollers of small diameter to be used.-

The channel bar 9 is mounted in. inverted position, the -top flange or web providing flat supportin surfaces :for the body sills. The

depending side flanges 9 of "the means of a channel stripor' bar 10i-having short depend-ing side flanges 10*L abuttingy against the inner lower faces of the vflanges k9d and secured thereto as by Welding.v` The v channel strip 10 terminates at 10b sufficiently shorty of each end ofthe bar 9toI permitithe .top flange'of the channel bar 9.

.A upper part of thecaster to be housed vvithinf each en d of the channel bar9. 'Each caster structure comprises-a housing 11 .Within which vis a ball-bearing race for-the caster wheel or roller 12 Which is svvivelledv to the housing, and the'latteris bolted at 13 'The paint stick isprovidedf'adjacenteach i lend,"andbetween the casters, With-'means for relealsably` connectingit to the side sills of the body.A In vthe present instance the bar 9; `isoffset ,t'ofprovide. a shoulder-cl3, near each i end and-mounted on thebar att-hisy point is! aplate 14 bent'A at 14C@ azndletC 'to provide. a, Y, transverse rib orv abutment 14e, and fromthis Vahutine'nt theV plateV has a projecting-flat por-f.

tion', 14%i yfor supporting a portion of the sill?. Theplate 14: is riveted at` 15 .tothe 111319614Q Vflange of the' bar 9, and -adjacentthe inner u side; of the! yabutment 14% a pair of projec.

"5i:- tions-'16' are.A

struck up from-the metal ofthe plate.

A die Vpartcomprisinga movable clamping mem'- ber 17# (This latter member. is pro-vided at opposite `sides With depending flange por- Y tions 17a'embracino"V oppositev sidesV of the channel'barg-Q, andthejrear edge of the clamp i 17 isbent downwardlyto forma short flange e 17,`engaging the top of the bar 9 and en to therr abittment'ltai forms one of thecoopfV erating parts of a clamping device, the other abling the clamp 7 to be rocked. The opposite edge of the clamp 17 is providedA With a projecting lip 18 which vis provided With two slots 19 to receive the projections or lugs 16, and the lip 18 fis turned up to provide bot-k tom curved surfaces 19a`enabling these portions Vto's'lide over the flange of the body sill;

The clamp member 17`is` connectedy to, the' bar 9 by means of a Xed bolt 20 having adependingV threaded shank 20a projecting throughan elongated slot 8 in the bar, Vand the clamp membermay be rigidly secured to f the bar bymeansI of a-.nut 21.' Y y Each bodyf sill in the present instance'conmy Y prises a'inetal bar 23 bent in .the `form Volifachannel, andis adapted to fit over "the abut@` ment 14, as shown in Fig. 2. A flange 25Y ofthe sill isadaptedtofrestupon theflat v portion 151 of the clamp vplate 14C,v andy/ane other flange 24 of the sill is supportedat the opposite side of the abutment 14a; VItgvvill be i seen that the sill 23 has a shoulder 211` which engages the shoulder 14, and the sill is notched to receive the lugs or projections 16, t By means of the slot 8 the clamp member 17 may be4 shifted toward and from the abutmont lila, and a rockingmovement-is per r mitted by means of thelip or flange 17hof the clamp member. When the sills 230i the automobile body are placed in position on the paint stick as shown in; Fig-21h13. clamp member 17 Y is then 4shifted toward the abut-VV ment 14n so that" thejlip portions18- willV ovei'lic the flange 24of the "sill and; with .the

ings l16 extending ,int0the slot 19 of -the clamp.. 1 Thereafter the nut- 21`is turned so as to tighten the 'clampmember and-therebyl Iff loch` `the sill in position on the paint stick.

The paint stick is also provided VWith f guides which are adaptedto 'cooperatefwith enabling the bodyto be moved on the' floor Va stationary guide on the vfloor during thev travel of the body on the paint stick, thereby.

in a predetermined path as bymeans of a 'i suitable chain'v conveyor;` lThe guides and:A

D are formed in the present ,instance by .mea-ns of `plates 27 and 29 riveted,at 3(r"to z the bottom of the channelstrip 10, as showi'ifi 12oY I These guides areadapted toi Y e engage opposite sides ofaistationaryguide` 31, and .by means'of the curvedsurfaces 28Y and 28b thel paint stick may travell arondaiY curve- Without the guides Cy vand D binding; "i against either side of the stationary guide'81-ev l As shown in FigQ the ,guide 31 may com-k prise a pair off angles positionedfbaek to back' A With a central gnidevvay or channeltherebetween for housing anl endless chain conveyor ,130

titi

operated trom a source ot povver. The chain at intervaliis along its length hasup- Wardly j u'ojeeting` pusher dogs pivoted to links o l the chain. Tae pusher dog 33 will engage the bar 9 and propel it togetl'ier with the automobile body along the door. The guides C and l) will control the direction ot' travel oit thc body and the curvature ot the guide VFaces will permitthe body to swing around corners during its travel.

In addition the adjustable clamping members 17 and 14 are constructed to enable the paint stick to be attached to different size bodies or to accommodate body sills of varying construction. The strip 10 is provided with slots or openings 7 through which the lower ends ot bolts E20 project, these openings permitting the nuts .21 to be screwed onto the bolts from underneath the paint stick.

lfilhat l claim is:

l. A device for carryingA automobile bodies previous to the assen'ibly ot the body on its chassis, comprising a relatively narrow channel formed bar, means for retaining the body in position on said bar against substantial displacement, and a caster mounted beneath said bar adjacent each end thereof.

2. A paint stick for automobile bodies comprising a pair of spaced casters, a member connecting said casters, and means for detachably connecting said member to the sills ot the body to support the bottom ot the body approximately at the height of said casters.

3. A device for carrying automobile bodies previous to the assembly of the body on its chassis, comprising a relatively narrow channel formed member having depending` flanges, casters mounted at opposite ends tl1ereOi,-and a guide mounted between said 'flanges and supported thereby.

4e. A device of the class described for carrying an automobile body, comprising a structural member angular in cross section adapted to extend beneath the body to permit the bottom ot the body to be mounted thereon, said member being positioned to provide depending iianges, and caster struc-. tures having a portion thereof mounted between said flanges.

5. A paint stick for automobile bodies comprising a channel bar adapted to extend transversely beneath the body in .supportingl engagement therewith, means for releasably connecting the bar to the body, and casters carried by said bar. j

6. A paint stick tor automobile bodies comprising an inverted channel bar adapted to entend transversely beneath the body in supporting engagement therewith, means for releasably connecting said bar to the body, and casters mounted Within the channel of the bar.

7.A paint stick for automobile bodies comprising a bar adapted to extend transversely beneath the body in' supporting en gagement therewith, means for releasably connectingl the bar to the body, casters carried by said bar, and guide means carried by the bar and adapted to cooperate with a stationary guide during the travel ot' thc body on the paint. stick.

Si. A j aint stick for automobile bodies" comprising a bar having supperting` casters, clamping devices carried by the bar for releasably securing it to the opposite bottom sills of the body, each device comprising a liXed abutment and a movable member adapted to clamp the sill against said abutment.

9. A supporting device for carrying an automobile body previous to the assembly oit the body on its chassis, comprising a member adapted to span the bottom of the body and permitting the body to rest thereon, svvivelled casters mounted adjacent op posite ends of said member, and means for releasably securing the bottom of the body to said member.

10. A paint stick for automobile bodies comprising a channel bar having casters, and adjustable means carried by said bar for relcasably securing the same to bodies of varying construction or size and including an adjusting bolt and a slot in said bar for receiving said bolt.

11. A paint stick for automobile bodies comprising a supporting bar having casters, and adjustable. means carried by said bar for releasably securing the same to bodies of varying construction or size, and including a fixed abutment and a clamp slidable tovvard or from said abutment.

12. A paint stick for automobile bodies comprising a supporting bar having casters, and adjustable means carried by said bar for releasably securing' the same to bodies of varying construction or size, and guide means carried by the paint stick and adapted to cooperate with a stationary structure during the travel oi' the body upon the paint stick.

13. A paint. stick :for automobile bodies or the like comprising a bar adapted to extend beneath the body in engagement therewith, casters swivelied to said bar, and a guide projecting from said bar between said casters for guiding thc body during its travel on the paint stick.

1/l. A paint stick 'for automobile bodies or the like comprising a bar tor supporting the body, antitriction rolls carried by said bar, and a pair of depending spaced guides secured to the bar, said guides l'iavirig oppositely curved guiding faces.

15. A paint stick comprising a channel bar having a top horizontal. tlange for supporting the body and spaced dependingside flanges, casters secured to said channel bar between the depending flanges thereof,

titl

and :means for deteoh'abl'y connecting the peintl stick to the body. Y

16.. ik device of the dass described for carrying an automobile body previous to the VI9 assembly of the body on its chassis, eompris- 111gV e relatively nerroWstruotural member,y

means for retaining the body in position on ofL the member to support the member subl0 stentielly at the'height of the casters. Y Is testimony whereof I aix'my signature.

ROBERT T. RoMNE. 

